5 Dems sue Levy for return of campaign contributions

They want their money back and they're suing Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy to get it.

Five local Democrats filed a lawsuit Tuesday in State Supreme Court in Central Islip to get back their campaign contributions to Levy, who won re-election as county executive on the Democratic line but is now running for governor as a Republican.

The head of the Huntington Town Democratic Committee, Mary Collins of Centerport, leads the list of those demanding their contributions back.

"The plaintiffs seek the return of campaign contributions they've made over the years to Steve Levy," said Commack attorney Lawrence Silverman, who represents the group. "They're saying he's taken it under false pretenses."

The lawsuit claims Levy has "wrongfully" used funds collected by Friends of Steve Levy for his two county executive campaigns and used them for his gubernatorial campaign. The lawsuit also names Friends of Steve Levy and its treasurer, William McShane, as plaintiffs.

Levy campaign spokesman Josh Hills said Levy draws support from "both sides of the political aisle because of his platform to control spending and taxes.

"This stunt is another example illustrating that the Democrat bosses are deathly afraid of Steve Levy emerging as the Republican nominee because he's the only candidate who can defeat Andrew Cuomo and restore a Republican majority in the state Senate," Hills said.